Graduate Programs

This course draws on AMNH's long-standing leadership in the fields of paleontology, geology, systematics, and molecular biology to tell a modern story of evolution. Students will learn why evolution is the fundamental concept that underlies all life sciences and how it contributes to advances in medicine, public health and conservation. The course begins by looking at how Charles Darwin developed his groundbreaking views on evolution by observing patterns in nature. Darwin's work and the perspectives of the authoring scientists - a paleontologist and an ornithologist - lay out some of the evidence for evolution. We then examine the use of molecular and phylogenetic techniques to reconstruct evolutionary history and determine the place of an organism on the Tree of Life, which documents the evolutionary relationships among all species. Mechanisms of evolution and speciation are then covered and are followed by the origin and evolution of humans. The course concludes by examining the practical impact of evolution in the areas of human health, agriculture and conservation. Course participants will gain a firm understanding of the basic mechanisms of evolution --- including the process of speciation --- and how these systems have given rise to the great diversity of life in the world today. They will also explore how new ideas, discoveries and technologies are modifying prior evolutionary concepts.